A lineage-bonded society is a type of acephalous society predicated on claims of a common ancestor.

A lineage-bonded society is by population, the smallest classification of acephalous society. Beyond a certain size threshold, claims of common lineage become untenable, and the social ties resulting from those claims destabilize. A lineage-bonded society that outgrows its limits may break apart into subgroups. Such branches would then either become separate lineage-bonded societies, or would merge with a neighboring society. When two lineage-bonded societies merge in such a way, the outcome is a land-bonded society

A lineage-bonded society may harbor a secret society or may be large enough to support age sets but can't sustain both secret societies and age sets, and cannot make the transition to statehood.^{[citation needed]}

This society is similar to a band society.^{[citation needed]}

• Ethnic group
• Tribe
• Blood quantum laws
• Dawes Act
• Dawes Rolls

• Based on material presented by Joseph C. Dorsey at Purdue University^{[citation needed]}